Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. What is the government doing to keep our economy strong and spread the benefits of the mining boom?

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Chifley for a very important question, because our economy walks tall in the world. We have solid growth, we have low unemployment, we have contained inflation and we have a strong investment pipeline. Of course, this government has always put the jobs of Australians first. That is why we acted during the global financial crisis to support the jobs of Australians, and we avoided recession because of what we did in putting jobs first.

We have always put jobs first in the reforms we have put in place through our five budgets in this House. This morning we have had a resounding endorsement of our economy and a resounding endorsement of our jobs record. Australia now has more people in work than ever before, with an unemployment rate of 4.9 per cent. That is something that everyone on this side of the House is proud of. Since this government was elected, 800,000 jobs have been created. But we cannot see anyone happy about that on the other side of the House.

There have been—

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Treasurer is actually not being assisted by the people behind him.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There have been 90,000 jobs created in Australia since the beginning of the year, and that is why we are bringing our budget back to surplus: because we have trend growth, we have low unemployment and it is important to have a surplus and build it over the years. That is why we are putting in place productivity-enhancing reforms, particularly incentives for small business. But it is also why we are in a position to spread the benefits of the mining boom right around our country, particularly to 1.5 million low- and middle-income families, with additional payments in terms of family tax benefit and, most particularly, our schoolkids bonus to help 1.3 million families with the cost of education. But, just as those opposite voted against jobs during the global financial crisis, they voted against the schoolkids bonus in this House—and shame on them. As we stand here today, they are voting against it in the Senate as well.

Tonight the Leader of the Opposition needs to come clean on what other assistance to families the Liberal Party opposes. When he walks into this chamber tonight, he should say whether he is supporting proposals to spread the benefits of the boom and how he is going to pay for it. How is he going to pay for spreading the benefits of the boom? If he is supporting a return to surplus, will he support the saves to get there? What is he going to do to find the money to fill the $70 billion crater in the budget bottom line that the shadow Treasurer spoke about on breakfast television? We on this side of the House have always stood for jobs. Those opposite want to give the benefits of the boom to Clive Palmer.

Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, I ask a supplementary question. The Treasurer has outlined the benefits to the nation, but I would also like to know what it means for local communities like mine.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Chifley for that question, because the schoolkids bonus for those families in Chifley will go to 15,000 families. It has now passed the Senate, so it will go to all of those families. We on this side of the House understand cost-of-living pressures on families, and that is why we have moved with the schoolkids bonus. That is why we have moved for the 19,000 families in Chifley to give them some additional support, to spread the benefits of the mining boom and to give them additional family tax payments. We on this side of the House are absolutely proud of what we have done to support employment in our communities, particularly in areas like Chifley. We have supported jobs, and because we have supported jobs families in areas like Chifley are more secure than they have ever been. We will continue to do that with a range of policies to lift our productivity and to spread the benefits of the boom to all Australians, to give them all a stake in our prosperity.